Dictionary

peacenik en · NOUN

Pronunciation

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Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *peh₂ḱ- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *péh₂ḱs Proto-Italic *pāks Latin pāx Old French pais Anglo-Norman peisbor. Middle English pees English peace English -nik English peacenik From peace + -nik.

Meanings

1. (derogatory, sometimes) Someone who publicly opposes armed conflict in general, or a particular conflict, or who publicly opposes the proliferation of weapons.
   • ps: but that is all a part of the Secret Christian Conspiracy to Drive PeaceNiki Into the Moral Quandary about whether or not they are Tools of the Devil or On God's Side.... 1991 March 12, Andrew F. Hampe, “One More Chorus Before I Go....”, in talk.bizarre (Usenet), archived from the original on 16 Aug 2025:
   • Tech-hedz & Peaceniki and all others interested in the preparations for the Lunacy that is called Gulf War, part 2 are invited to visit this marvellous web-site. 2002 December 11, B55, “'The Fire this time'”, in nl.politiek (Usenet), archived from the original on 16 Aug 2025:
   • If I lift a finger, or my voice, I either throw my support behind those who would prefer a dead planet to a Red planet, or I throw my lot with the Peaceniki. 1984 June 1, John K. R. Chisholm, “Arms race debate boring”, in K. J. Strachan, editor, The Expositor, Brantford, Ont.: Southam Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, “To the editor” section, page 4, column 6:
   • THE AMERICAN PEACENIKI / Even if the true believers have not been replaced with KGB agents when Americans visit, it is doubtful that most Russians would speak frankly. Los Angeles Times reporter Robert Gillette quoted a Moscow scientist—who is bitterly opposed to his country’s invasion of Afghanistan—about the naiveté of Americans concerning Soviet statements on their system. […] According to Soviet intellectuals, Americans who swallow their line are fools, commonly called “peaceniki.” 1986, Edmund W. Robb, Julia Robb, “The National Council of Churches and the Soviet Union”, in The Betrayal of the Church: Apostasy and Renewal in the Mainline Denominations, Westchester, Ill.: Crossway Books, →ISBN, pages 110–111:
   • [Robert] Gillette’s counsel seems one of despair—little or nothing can be done to halt the inexorable movement toward superpower conflict, so don’t be fooled by peaceniki bearing a message of hope. 1984 August 31, Raymond Hansen, Judith Markoff, “‘Facade of Peace’ in Soviet Union”, in William F[rederick] Thomas, editor, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, Calif.: Times Mirror Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, part II, “Letters to The Times” section, page 4, column 3:
   • The great bulk of the Western peace movement/left either opposed the Trust Group or were silent on the issue of the well-known repression of the Trusters. They prefered^([sic]) to work with the government front “Soviet Peace Committee,” which offered free trips to the USSR, chauffeurs, and so on to the western “peaceniki” (an insulting term used by the Soviet opposition for the pampered Westerners). 1991 January, Bob McGlynn, “On Gogol Boulevard: U.S. Soviet Trust Groups Alive and Well”, in Love and Rage: A Revolutionary Anarchist Newsmonthly, volume 2, number 1, New York, N.Y.: Love and Rage, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 7, column 1:
   • The "peaceniki" I know are opposed to human rights violations, whether from Saddam Hussein, Uncle Sam, or others. 2003 March 25, Derek N.P.F. Juhl, “The Iraqi Children.”, in alt.religion.buddhism.nichiren (Usenet), archived from the original on 16 Aug 2025:
   • These kibbutzim have just been obliterated, and some of the last peaceniks are either murdered, burying their loved ones, or held hostage in Gaza. 2023 October 12, Yuval Noah Harari, “Israelis and Palestinians are facing their moment of greatest danger since 1948”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 12 Oct 2023:
   • Belying his reputation as some kind of peacenik, [Dario] Amodei is keen for democratic governments to exploit the advantages of these powerful AI models to counter authoritarian governments, such as Russia and China, and support allies, including Ukraine and Taiwan. 2026 April 18, John Thornhill, “Lunch with the FT: Dario Amodei”, in FT Weekend (Life & Arts section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 3:

Forms

Coordinates

Vietnik

Relateds

beatnik · warnik

Synonyms

dove · pacifist